Finally! I've been waiting for Lady Jung to say, "I will keep him in check".
It is the only way to guarantee the king will not become a tyrant, and his scheme to nudge the Queen Mother to commit crimes is himself slowly but surely falling down the path of tyranny. The only difference between him and the other tyrants, he is working in the shadows with most none the wiser.
If Lady Jung doesn't keep him in check, they're going to have a serious problem later on … especially since he wants absolute monarchy. And we know, historically, many kings/queens in an absolute monarchy setup abused their power and slipped over the tyranny side.
Looks like we're going to see a very memorable ending for this show.
Episodes 15 and 16 will be the king vs Lady Jung. And let's not forget, Lady Jung's primary objective is to clear her father's name … this will shock the nation and may backfire against the king.
If Councilor Park remains in power, then Lady Jung will be protected from the aftermath … but if not, she'll have to choose between clearing her father's name or let it go.
Lastly, the ultimate test for Lady Jung is … if she will not become a tyrant herself. If she can truly keep the king in check, then that means she has power over the king. Councilor Park will definitely keep a close watch over her. And he knows it already that Lady Jung is a force to reckon with.
Whoever was the translator and subtitle timer, they probably got bored with it that it's no longer their priority.
Maybe they will work on it sometime later if their other translation projects are over. But currently, it seems that no one is bothering with this show.
It's not bad per se but the story is too slow, and there were scenes that doesn't make any sense.
They want to establish how bad life is for the main characters and why they will end up doing something highly illegal. They don't need to shove it down our throats, they can build the characters spread to 10-12 episodes instead of dedicated the first 3 episodes to it.
I mean, let's get on with the story.
I think they're trying to do a "The Pursuit of Happyness" but failing at it.
I can't speak for the original show this was based on, I haven't seen it. But for this adaptation, I'd rather watch My Liberation Notes.
I think the reason they're dragging this is because the original was 6 episodes only and the Korean adaptation is 16. At least from what I've read in Wikipedia, it appears that this Korean adaptation is trying to stay true with the original with only slight changes.
It's consistently ranked 4th or 5th in Korean ratings for Nationwide and Seoul since the second episode.
I mean it is pretty obvious that FL isn't sister of ML coz there is romance tag & all. But how come they feel…
> "coz there is romance tag"
Actually, if that is the only basis, it is not reliable. The "romance"/"romantic" genre is about adventure, chivalry, mystery, spiritual, honour, and relationships in general.
The assumption that the genre means __only__ "sexual romance" or "romantic relationship" is false. It is part of the genre, yes, but the truth is, "sexual romance"/"romantic relationship" is only but a __small__ part of the "romance"/"romantic" genre in literature.
I'm not saying they are siblings, as of episode 3, the situation points that they are not. However, the "romance"/"romantic" tag can not be the basis to support them not being siblings.
but what if they weren't twins at the first place? and it was noh da hyun all along.
It's possible. There is no conflict with this show being tagged as "romantic" or "romance" because the genre "romance"/"romantic" is about an adventurous, mysterious, and/or spiritual story. It's about chivalry and heroes. Of love and relationships.
Most people today assumes the "romance"/"romantic" genre is __only__ about "sexual romance" or "romantic relationships". While it is correct, it is a false assumption that the genre is __only__ about that.
In other words, if this show stays true about the actual definition of the "romance"/"romantic" genre, then the lead characters being long lost twin siblings, is perfectly fine.
It means that it is a story about love between twin siblings. The mystery on her disappearance and why she doesn't seem to remember anything. The mystery about their emotions being linked. The adventure the boy/guy has to go through--struggling if he'll try to find his sister again or not. The spiritual side of the story on the kind of relationship they have.
And in episode 3, it is also about chivalry too, him being chivalrous to the girl who he doesn't know if she's his twin sister or not.
For a moment there, Councilor Park started to show some respect for the king. If anything, I think his offer was genuine, he wants the king to stop his vendetta against him but the king chose not to.
Then later, he was forced to walk the bloody path he walked once before, and it was proof beyond any reasonable doubt that he made a mistake when it comes to the Queen Mother: 1. He surely realized it was him who shaped her to be that way. 2. He underestimated what his former lover is willing to do to get what she wants.
This is a massive blow to his patriotism and principles. He surely knows that the king will laugh at him and it will be the start of him losing credibility.
But at the same time, he's fully aware that it was the king who manipulated the Queen Mother. No, manipulated is the wrong word here, the king nudged the Queen Mother in this direction. "Nudging" is a skill only strategists can pull off. You make the target believe they made their decision on their own … and 80% of the time they did make their own decision -- they were just nudged towards it.
So, for Councilor Park, while he can blame the king, the ultimate fault is still his. He was the one who convinced his lover to be the Queen Mother, he later told her to vacate the position, and his indecision to take action against her ultimately led for the Queen Mother to become a tyrant herself. The very thing Councilor Park hates.
It also hurts his pride because the king he is trying to keep at bay is turning out to be one who truly cares for the people yet he still doesn't trust; when he should be watching the person he trusted and loves. The signals were all there, especially when the Queen Mother admitted she wants power. But, no, he chose not to take action and tried to find the people giving the Queen Mother the courage to do things he never imagined her doing.
Can he truly blame the king who only nudged her? Can he truly point his fingers against the king who was only an observer and the Queen Mother made all her decisions herself?
Councilor Park knows he can not. And that bloody walk path of fake traitors is pushing him on edge. The very thing he doesn't want to happen again is right in front of his eyes once more.
He is a patriot. He truly cares for his country and its people. But things he himself set in motion is starting to bite him. By making sure the next kings after the deposed tyrant king are in check, he changed a lot of things. In the process, he ended up creating a king whose first goal is to eliminate him and his allies.
This king apparently knows how to play the game after all, pretending he lack skills. All this time his first ace is the person very dear to him … the Queen Mother.
What will Councilor Park do next? 1. Lady Jung defeated him in his own game. 2. Now, the king has shown his fangs and has proven he can play his game too. 3. The love of his life has turned into a tyrant Queen Mother. 4. Then there is Minister Jo, who will probably use this incident against him. 5. And he still is in love with the Queen Mother, he just can't make himself kill her (he's probably thinking this is what the king wants)
Episode 14, where are you?! Haha. We need to see what will happen next!
I know both our blues and liberation notes are good but which one is overall better?
* Our Blues = as the main writer said in an interview, he wants a show wherein there are many lead characters because in real life, we are all lead characters.
This gave Our Blues an opportunity to tell different life stories over 20 episodes. It also avoided the stories getting longer when it can be told powerfully with just 2 to 3 episodes (+1 episode where the arc is teased or touched on lightly)
It is also not as deep at MLN but it touched on human emotions and left an impression.
MLN = it's one life story of a family told in 16 episodes. Very deep, to the point that there are audiences who found it either slow or boring; yet are fans of true-to-life stories.
Best scene in episode 20, the 2 to 3 minutes scene of total silence wherein the son was looking at his mother who passed away.
The total silence in that silence speak mountains as to the emotions embroiling in him and all the memories they had and the what-ifs that could've been.
The mother and son, both asking for love, understanding, and forgiveness from each other … in the end, time just wasn't on their side.
The last meal. The last breakfast. The last favourite food. A food where only his mother's he ever liked.
In the end, even though they never said the words, they sent the message that they do love each other, they do understand, and they've forgiven each other.
That scene, that total silence scene for 2-3 minutes, was perfect and very powerful.
I did not expect his trusted eunuch is the father of the monk.Then again, I've always wondered why his eunuch…
Yep, and Councilor Park knows him too. They probably served under the tyrant king before, then went their separate ways on how to ensure the next kings won't end up tyrant.
Interesting background if that's the case. Another dynamic added to the story -- how people choose different ways to protect their country … though they may clash, their underlying objective remains the same.
Why is it she was not reacting when her phone was ringing loudly? Or, was it her phone in the first place?
Even if it wasn't her phone, if the noise is coming near her, she would have reacted but she's doing nothing.
I find that super unrealistic or plain stupidity. What did I miss? I am assuming the scenes are at least similar to the original show this was based on?
1 
It is the only way to guarantee the king will not become a tyrant, and his scheme to nudge the Queen Mother to commit crimes is himself slowly but surely falling down the path of tyranny. The only difference between him and the other tyrants, he is working in the shadows with most none the wiser.
If Lady Jung doesn't keep him in check, they're going to have a serious problem later on … especially since he wants absolute monarchy. And we know, historically, many kings/queens in an absolute monarchy setup abused their power and slipped over the tyranny side.
Looks like we're going to see a very memorable ending for this show.
Episodes 15 and 16 will be the king vs Lady Jung. And let's not forget, Lady Jung's primary objective is to clear her father's name … this will shock the nation and may backfire against the king.
If Councilor Park remains in power, then Lady Jung will be protected from the aftermath … but if not, she'll have to choose between clearing her father's name or let it go.
Lastly, the ultimate test for Lady Jung is … if she will not become a tyrant herself. If she can truly keep the king in check, then that means she has power over the king. Councilor Park will definitely keep a close watch over her. And he knows it already that Lady Jung is a force to reckon with.
"It premiered on May 2? Really? Seriously?"
That kind of reaction. ^_^
Whoever was the translator and subtitle timer, they probably got bored with it that it's no longer their priority.
Maybe they will work on it sometime later if their other translation projects are over. But currently, it seems that no one is bothering with this show.
They want to establish how bad life is for the main characters and why they will end up doing something highly illegal. They don't need to shove it down our throats, they can build the characters spread to 10-12 episodes instead of dedicated the first 3 episodes to it.
I mean, let's get on with the story.
I think they're trying to do a "The Pursuit of Happyness" but failing at it.
I can't speak for the original show this was based on, I haven't seen it. But for this adaptation, I'd rather watch My Liberation Notes.
I think the reason they're dragging this is because the original was 6 episodes only and the Korean adaptation is 16. At least from what I've read in Wikipedia, it appears that this Korean adaptation is trying to stay true with the original with only slight changes.
It's consistently ranked 4th or 5th in Korean ratings for Nationwide and Seoul since the second episode.
Actually, if that is the only basis, it is not reliable. The "romance"/"romantic" genre is about adventure, chivalry, mystery, spiritual, honour, and relationships in general.
The assumption that the genre means __only__ "sexual romance" or "romantic relationship" is false. It is part of the genre, yes, but the truth is, "sexual romance"/"romantic relationship" is only but a __small__ part of the "romance"/"romantic" genre in literature.
I'm not saying they are siblings, as of episode 3, the situation points that they are not. However, the "romance"/"romantic" tag can not be the basis to support them not being siblings.
^_^
Most people today assumes the "romance"/"romantic" genre is __only__ about "sexual romance" or "romantic relationships". While it is correct, it is a false assumption that the genre is __only__ about that.
In other words, if this show stays true about the actual definition of the "romance"/"romantic" genre, then the lead characters being long lost twin siblings, is perfectly fine.
It means that it is a story about love between twin siblings. The mystery on her disappearance and why she doesn't seem to remember anything. The mystery about their emotions being linked. The adventure the boy/guy has to go through--struggling if he'll try to find his sister again or not. The spiritual side of the story on the kind of relationship they have.
And in episode 3, it is also about chivalry too, him being chivalrous to the girl who he doesn't know if she's his twin sister or not.
Then later, he was forced to walk the bloody path he walked once before, and it was proof beyond any reasonable doubt that he made a mistake when it comes to the Queen Mother:
1. He surely realized it was him who shaped her to be that way.
2. He underestimated what his former lover is willing to do to get what she wants.
This is a massive blow to his patriotism and principles. He surely knows that the king will laugh at him and it will be the start of him losing credibility.
But at the same time, he's fully aware that it was the king who manipulated the Queen Mother. No, manipulated is the wrong word here, the king nudged the Queen Mother in this direction. "Nudging" is a skill only strategists can pull off. You make the target believe they made their decision on their own … and 80% of the time they did make their own decision -- they were just nudged towards it.
So, for Councilor Park, while he can blame the king, the ultimate fault is still his. He was the one who convinced his lover to be the Queen Mother, he later told her to vacate the position, and his indecision to take action against her ultimately led for the Queen Mother to become a tyrant herself. The very thing Councilor Park hates.
It also hurts his pride because the king he is trying to keep at bay is turning out to be one who truly cares for the people yet he still doesn't trust; when he should be watching the person he trusted and loves. The signals were all there, especially when the Queen Mother admitted she wants power. But, no, he chose not to take action and tried to find the people giving the Queen Mother the courage to do things he never imagined her doing.
Can he truly blame the king who only nudged her? Can he truly point his fingers against the king who was only an observer and the Queen Mother made all her decisions herself?
Councilor Park knows he can not. And that bloody walk path of fake traitors is pushing him on edge. The very thing he doesn't want to happen again is right in front of his eyes once more.
He is a patriot. He truly cares for his country and its people. But things he himself set in motion is starting to bite him. By making sure the next kings after the deposed tyrant king are in check, he changed a lot of things. In the process, he ended up creating a king whose first goal is to eliminate him and his allies.
This king apparently knows how to play the game after all, pretending he lack skills. All this time his first ace is the person very dear to him … the Queen Mother.
What will Councilor Park do next?
1. Lady Jung defeated him in his own game.
2. Now, the king has shown his fangs and has proven he can play his game too.
3. The love of his life has turned into a tyrant Queen Mother.
4. Then there is Minister Jo, who will probably use this incident against him.
5. And he still is in love with the Queen Mother, he just can't make himself kill her (he's probably thinking this is what the king wants)
Episode 14, where are you?! Haha. We need to see what will happen next!
Maybe in the future I'll pick this up again but currently … meh.
This gave Our Blues an opportunity to tell different life stories over 20 episodes. It also avoided the stories getting longer when it can be told powerfully with just 2 to 3 episodes (+1 episode where the arc is teased or touched on lightly)
It is also not as deep at MLN but it touched on human emotions and left an impression.
MLN = it's one life story of a family told in 16 episodes. Very deep, to the point that there are audiences who found it either slow or boring; yet are fans of true-to-life stories.
Best scene in episode 20, the 2 to 3 minutes scene of total silence wherein the son was looking at his mother who passed away.
The total silence in that silence speak mountains as to the emotions embroiling in him and all the memories they had and the what-ifs that could've been.
The mother and son, both asking for love, understanding, and forgiveness from each other … in the end, time just wasn't on their side.
The last meal. The last breakfast. The last favourite food. A food where only his mother's he ever liked.
In the end, even though they never said the words, they sent the message that they do love each other, they do understand, and they've forgiven each other.
That scene, that total silence scene for 2-3 minutes, was perfect and very powerful.
100 out of 10 stars for this show.
That's how you end a show, with a bang. Always leave a lasting impression.
It's so perfect, I am sad and teary-eyed that it ended. I will remember them in my what-ifs and treasure the lessons they gave us.
Interesting background if that's the case. Another dynamic added to the story -- how people choose different ways to protect their country … though they may clash, their underlying objective remains the same.
Even if it wasn't her phone, if the noise is coming near her, she would have reacted but she's doing nothing.
I find that super unrealistic or plain stupidity. What did I miss? I am assuming the scenes are at least similar to the original show this was based on?
But as of episode 12, the king showed he also possess wisdom, not just intelligence.